LONDON – 18 December 2017 – Amazon today announced that David Walliams’ Bad Dad is the top book kids hope to find under the tree this Christmas. A new independent survey of 1,000 UK children aged between eight and twelve was commissioned by Amazon ahead of the festive season to identify the most desired books and explore what kids look for most when picking their literary favourite.

At number one in the top five books for Christmas is David Walliams’ new book Bad Dad, a heart-warming and hilarious story of a father and son who take on the villainous Mr Big. While popular modern author Walliams topped the list, the top five included a varied selection of old and new, while other notable mentions apart from the list include The Witches by Roald Dahl, TheDiary of a Wimpy Kid series, and The Girl with the Lost Smile by Miranda Hart.

The five most-desired kids’ books this Christmas are:

Bad Dad by David Walliams

Guinness World Records 2018

Kid Normal by Greg James

Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae

The survey also asked children what they look for most when deciding which book to read next and, perhaps unsurprisingly, ‘making them laugh’ came out on top. It also seems that, despite the age-old warning, kids can’t help but judge a book by its cover as ‘an interesting cover’ comes in at number two as the most important sign when looking for a good read.

The top five factors children look for in a good book are:

If the book makes me laugh (45%)

If the cover is interesting (37%)

If the book lets me use my imagination (34%)

If my friend recommended it to me (33%)

If the book has pictures (27%)

When asked what they like most about receiving books at Christmas time, nearly half the children surveyed (45 per cent) said it was just because they simply ‘love to read’. Nearly four in ten children said it is because ‘books are entertaining’, and a third of children revealed that ‘reading together with their family’ was what they liked most.

Amazon-commissioned research also revealed that two thirds of parents in the UK claim that their kids read the same, if not more, than they did at their age, suggesting that despite today’s children being known as the ‘YouTube generation’, reading is still an important pastime that brings families together.

The Chatterbooks reading club in Hackney, London, is just one example of keen young readers who are looking forward to getting their hands on their next book this Christmas. With members aged between eight and twelve, the group meets weekly to talk through their favourite page turners. Along with teen vlogger star Amazing Arabella, this panel of young book-lovers was invited by Amazon to critique some of the top books to offer a little expert advice and guidance to those buying their young loved-ones books this Christmas. Watch them in action here.

Amazing Arabella said: “It was great to chat to the kids in Chatterbooks reading group and find out what they think of the books in Amazon’s Christmas Store this year. I’ve always loved reading and books are a great present to give at Christmas and I hope our reviews have helped people decide which books to buy for their nearest and dearest this Christmas.”

In addition to the top five, Chatterbooks also gave a special shout-out to the book Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky, which Florence, aged 8, and Oasis, aged 12, described as “inspiring” and “important” as it shows “how different women changed the way we see the world today, even though a lot of people told them ‘no’.”

Simon Johnson, Director of Media, Amazon.co.uk, said: “We’re delighted to have had a selection of the children’s books in our Christmas Store be given the stamp of approval by kids themselves. Books have always been a firm favourite on people’s Christmas wish lists through the ages - from hotly anticipated new releases to timeless classics - there is something for everyone in the list that the children recommend this year.”

ENDS

Notes to editors For more information please contact the Amazon press office at Shine Communications on 020 7100 7100 or kindle@shinecom.com.

Amazon surveyed 1,001 children with 4 Media Relations Research in November 2017.

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